Seam for woven wire fabric



June 3, 1947. Q DILLEY ETAL I 2,421,601

' SEAM FOR WOVEN WIRE FABRIC Filed July 13, 1944 INVENTOM Down (7 Dual "5 Fonz-197 A". 67 603 m. 50

Patented June 3, 1947 UNITED STAT ES PATENT 1 SEAM FOR WOVEN WIRE FABRIC Donald C. Dilley, Gleveland, and Robert R. Mc-

Gregor, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to The Lindsay Wire Weaving Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 13, 1944, serial No. 544,712

1 Claim. (01. 245-) This invention relates to seams for Woven wire fabric, particularly those used as paper forming belts in Fourdrinier paper making machines.

It has been desirable to produce a seam wherein the opposing warp pickets are brought together in such manner that the pattern is continued across the seam in the same manner that is present in the body of the fabric, and to have the area of the spaces in the seam gap substantially the same as those in the body of the fabric, whereby drainage at the seam corresponds to that in the body of the fabric. In the manufacture of a paper making belt from twill weave fabric, however, the warp pickets have a tendency to become distorted both vertically and laterally during the cutting operation, and as a result, the opposing pickets are misaligned. Where a seam is made by bringing the ends of the pickets into abutting engagement against the side edges of an interposed strip of non-fusible metal, the misalignment does not present a serious objection, because the interposed strip acts as a bridge piece to hold the pickets together. The use of such interposed strip, however, requires the removal of at least one weft wire from one or both ends of the fabric so as to provide adequate room for the strip, but such removal not only destroys the continuity of the pattern of weave across the seam opening, but also makes the area of the openings adjacent the seam different from that in the body of the fabric, and thereby gives a drainage characteristic at the seam different from that in the body of the fabric. A further objection to the use of the interposed seam strip is the fact that it tends to mark the paper formed directly above the seam, particularly because of the difficulty in maintaining the top edge of the strip at a uniform height with respect to the plane of the top surface of the belt.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a seam for a paper making belt wherein the warp wires continue across the seam opening with the same pattern of weave as they do in the body of the belt, and also to obtain substantially the same drainage area at the seam opening as that in the body of the fabric. It is a purpose also of the present invention to accomplish the foregoing objects without the need of an interposed strip of non-fusible metal as a part of the seam structure.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a wire fabric having a twill weave with a seam made in accordance with the present invention; Fig, 2 is a section taken on the plane indicated by the lines 2-2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, but showing the fusible 2 strip in position prior to the application of heat thereto.

We have shown our invention in connection with a woven wire fabric having a twill weave, wherein the warp wires are designated at [0 and the Weft wires at H. One end of the fabric, indicated, in general at A, is attached to the other end, designated B, by a seam that is made by directly joining the end of each warp wire to the opposite end of the same warp wire. As shown in Fig, 1, the joint between the ends of respective warp wires embodies a soldered connection wherein the solder, designated S, is confined only to the warp pickets.

To make the seam in accordance with the present invention, each end of the fabric is cut in the same relative location so that when the warp pickets are brought together, the pattern of the weave is maintained across the seam identical with that in the body of the fabric. Thus, as appears in Fig. 2, the warp wire IOA at the left hand side of the seam continues the pattern of the weave across the seam by virtue of the fact that the fabric on the end designated B is cut in the same relative location between weft wires that will permit the warp wire IUA to pass beneath two weft wires I IA and I EB and thereby continue the normal pattern of the weave across the seam. Similarly, the pattern is continued across the seam opening by the warp wires I03 and H10 by each warp wire passing over one and then under two weft wires in succession.

After the fabric is cut transversely as aforesaid, the ends are brought together with the opposing warp pickets in approximate alignment against opposite sides of a strip of fusible metal, such as 100% silver solder, indicated at S in Fig. 3. A torch is applied progressively thereto, while the ends of the fabric are pressed against the sides of the strip and until the solder is melted, and adheres to each warp picket adjacent the joint as is shown in Fig. 1. By selecting a size of solder strip sufiicient so that the solder will adhere only to the warp pickets, instead of running down to the adjacent weft wires, we can obtain a seam wherein the area of the interstices at the seam opening is substantially the same as that of the openings between any two adjacent weft wires in the body of the fabric. Thus, the drainage characteristic at the seam is the same as that in the body of the fabric. We have found that a solder strip having a cross sectional length of .0185 inch and a cross sectional width of .005 inch is satisfactory for a twill weave of mesh, having warp wires of .0095 inch in diameter, and weft wires of .0112 inch in diameter.

An advantage of a seam made in accordance with the present invention is the fact that the seam will withstand bending stresses to a greater degree than seams otherwise made, and. that the drainage is not impaired, nor does the fabric have projecting portions at the seam that would tend to mark the paper.

We claim:

A seam for a woven wire fabric for paper making machines comprising fabric parts having edges with warp pickets, the fabric parts being arranged in opposed pairs with each picket having a length substantially equal to one-half the distance between the center lines of adjacent weft Wires in the body of the fabric, and a small deposit of fusible metal joining each opposed pair of warp pickets, the deposits being limited to the warp pickets, and the area of the opening of the seam being substantially the same as that between any two weft wires in the body of the fabric.

DONALD C. DlLLEY. ROBERT} R. McGREGOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

